We will continue our discussion of stewardship in our next two Wednesday night adult programs. Next Wednesday, September 28, Dave Welch will present part three of a four-part video series that invites us to think critically and biblically about areas of responsibility and inspires conversation about our ideas.

We will begin by gathering at 5:30 in the Fellowship Hall for a dinner of fried chicken, roasted potatoes, green beans, salad, and dessert. Remember to make dinner reservations by noon on Monday by calling the church office at 423-764-7176, emailing Diana Mattison at dmattison@fpcbristol.org, or indicating the number in your party when you sign the fellowship register. The adult program will follow at 6:20, and Wednesday Night Kids and Student Small Groups will meet at 6:00.

When our interim pastor, Stuart Wilson, looks out over our pulpit on the first Sunday in October, he will find the church in good order. Dave Welch and all the staff have taken such good care of both the congregation's and the building's needs, that JB Madison's care of the church lawn will be the icing on the cake. Erin and Matt Kingsley will keep up the good work during Stuart's first week in the office.

We welcome volunteers to sign up for our mowing team at any time of the year. If you're not familiar with Scag mowers, Randy Cook will be happy to give you a quick lesson on ours. We welcome adults and teens, men and women for what we hope will be regular duty. If you can help us for even a single morning or afternoon, please email Randy at npolecook@aol.com or call his cell at 423-956-1541. Thank you! 

What does God expect of us when it comes to our finances? Does he lay claim to a fixed percentage of our income, say a tithe commonly thought of as ten percent, then leave us free to do what we please with the remainder? Is this what the Bible teaches? If this is not satisfactory, then what does the Bible require?

Our adult Wednesday night fellowship is currently looking into this matter under the rubric of Christian stewardship. You will be interested to know that there is also an excellent recently published book in our church library that deals specifically with these issues. The Christian Wallet: Spending, Giving, and Living with a Conscience takes a holistic view of our personal finances and demonstrates how you can develop a plan that fits your own family situation, is practical, and is framed around Christian principles. Its author, Mike Slaughter, is a minister who over the years has successfully led many congregations through financial planning seminars. Separate chapters consider matters such as balancing your budget, responsible investing, and thinking ahead toward retirement, as well as Christian giving. He knows that we live in a world characterized by attractive consumerism, so his closing chapter, "The Joy of Simplicity," has some fitting admonitions many of you will welcome.

Sunday's music participants: Sanctuary Choir.

Sunday's music: The Sanctuary Choir anthem, "All Things Are Yours, My God," has a text written by Jaroslav Vajda (1919-2008), an American Lutheran hymn writer who wrote both original texts and translated Slavic hymns into English. About this text he wrote: "[I] tried to show the response of the creature to God's creation and his mercy revealed in Christ. The response is gratitude expressing itself in worship and service, including the management of all that passes through our hands and lives." The first three stanzas reference the three persons of the Trinity, and the final stanza expresses the divine

	Carl Schalk

revelation that "I am your God, and you are my people." His frequent collaborator Carl Schalk (b. 1929) wrote the music for these words as a hymn, which he then arranged as the anthem the choir sings.

ONE Worship: As we prepare to celebrate World Communion and welcome interim pastor Stuart Wilson on October 2, remember that the morning schedule will be different. The Cherub Choir will not rehearse at 9:00, and Sunday School will begin at 9:30. Both the youth and older children's choirs will be singing, as well as the Sanctuary Choir, and we will have a variety of instrumentalists leading in worship as we sing songs from around the globe along with our Christian brothers and sisters here and abroad. What a great way to welcome our interim pastor!

 

8:30 a.m.       Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:00 a.m.       Cherub Choir

9:45 a.m.       Sunday School

11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary

5:30 p.m.       Stewardship Task Force, Room 117

6:00 p.m.       Student Fellowship

5:30 p.m.       Sanctuary Handbells

7:00 p.m.       Session of Elders, Room 123

9:00 a.m.       Staff Meeting, Room 123

10:00 a.m.     Morning Prayer Group, Conference Room

6:00 p.m.       Venture Crew 3, Room 123

7:00 p.m.       Boy Scout Troop 3, Scout Wing

7:00 p.m.       Safety & Security Committee, Room 117

9:30 a.m.       Heart to Heart DVD Bible Study, Coffee Klatch Classroom

4:15 p.m.       Children's Handbells

4:45 p.m.       Savior's Singers Children's Choir

4:45 p.m.       Youth Handbells

5:15 p.m.       Baby & Toddler Care, Nursery

5:30 p.m.       Fellowship Dinner, Fellowship Hall

6:00 p.m.       Wednesday Night Kids

6:00 p.m.       Student Small Groups

7:15 p.m.       Sanctuary Choir

7:30 p.m.       8:30 Worship Team Rehearsal,

7:00 a.m.        Men's Bible Study, Parlor